As exemplified in Quasnick U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,074 and Smith U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,991, paperboard pallets can exhibit substantial resistance to crushing and substantial beam strength in orthogonal directions. The pallets exemplified therein have longitudinal stringers with trapezoidal profiles, which provide such pallets with substantial resistance to crushing and with substantial beam strength in a longitudinal direction. The pallets exemplified therein have transverse decking members with trapezoidal profiles, which provide such pallets with substantial beam strength in a transverse direction. The Smith patent noted above discloses that tubular reinforcing pieces may be advantageously used to reinforce the stringers of such a pallet.
As exemplified in Hermitage U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,545, it is known for a paperboard pallet to have longitudinal stringers with trapezoidal profiles and to have flat upper and lower platforms secured to such stringers by wire bindings or adhesively. Such upper and lower platforms are disclosed therein as extending beyond the lateral walls of the outer stringers.
As exemplified in Fallert et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,446,914, it is known for a paperboard pallet with a rectangular profile to have longitudinal stringers with rectangular profiles, upper sheets with end flaps folded downwardly and secured adhesively thereto, and lower sheets with end flaps folded upwardly and secured adhesively thereto. Gifford U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,371 discloses paperboard pallets of related interest, also with rectangular profiles.
So-called "nine-block" pallets are known. Such a pallet comprises nine blocks in a rectangular array, an upper sheet secured adhesively to an upper end of each block, and a lower sheet secured adhesively to a lower end of each block. In one form known heretofore each block is made from corrugated paperboard, which is folded into a rectangular profile, secured adhesively to retain the rectangular profile, and disposed with its corrugations extending vertically.